


This Will Be Our Year

by rafaelbaseball



Series: We Made These Memories for Ourselves [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Boyfriends Being Cute, Drunk Barba, Established Relationship, Fluff, Holidays, Liv is a good friend, M/M, New Year's Eve, Sonny is a Good Boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 06:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13242471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rafaelbaseball/pseuds/rafaelbaseball
Summary: A Barisi New Year's Eve story based on the following prompt:Barba: I wasn't that drunk last night.Liv: You were flirting with Carisi.Barba: Yeah? So? He's my boyfriend.Liv: You asked him if he was single and then cried when he said no.Rafael gets a little rambunctious at the squad's New Year's Eve party and faces the consequences the following day.





	This Will Be Our Year

_  
Pain_.

All Rafael knows is pain. Sometimes piercing, sometimes dull, it’s a constant pressure in his temples he hasn’t been able to escape for hours now, and he only has himself to blame. He hates when he only has himself to blame.

If there’s an upside to the consequences of the previous night, it’s that he gets today off, merely a small silver lining when he’s already six Advils deep. If Sonny were to find out about that, Rafael knows he’d be on the receiving end of a lecture he’d rather not have to pretend to listen to right now. After all, it’d taken him over forty-five minutes after waking just to manage to roll out of bed and stumble into the shower. He should be grateful that a bit of dry heaving is all he’d been subjected to, though he wonders whether Sonny had been forced to clean him up last night.

Frankly, Rafael doesn’t remember much, but he’d woken to a text from Sonny that’d explained he’d gotten called in for a case and so, he can’t imagine he’d gotten into too much trouble, He’s usually not so careless with his alcohol intake so it’s admittedly disconcerting that his memory of last night’s events are so fuzzy, but he’s in one piece. One bruise on his shin is noted but aside from that and the raging headache and occasional rise of nausea, Rafael is fine.

It’s after he outlasts the warmth of the water he finally accepts the fact that he has to face the rest of the day and as he’s choosing a polo to wear with his jeans, Rafael decides to pick up a box of cannolis and surprise Sonny at the precinct. New year, new efforts, he thinks with a nod, and while Sonny hasn’t exactly complained, he’s also always the one bringing Rafael food at the office. Time to return the favor, and he smiles proudly at himself in the mirror before wincing at the spike of pain that brings along with it.

By the time the Uber pulls up in front of the 16th, Rafael has more than a few regrets. Weakly thanking the driver, he cautiously steps out of the car, one hand pressing against his stomach and the other desperately trying to keep a good grip on the cannolis he’d stopped for at Sonny’s favorite hole-in-the-wall Italian place around the corner from Rafael’s apartment. The traffic hadn’t been kind, even on a holiday, and neither had the driver’s hard turns and sudden lane changes. If Rafael had eaten breakfast this morning, he’s almost certain he would’ve lost it in the backseat of that Nissan.

He gets a few curious glances as he walks through the doors of the precinct, some uniformed officers appearing to hold back laughs while others greet him with a nod and “Counselor.” Rafael just barely manages to flick his wrist in response before crossing into the bullpen, only to find Sonny’s desk offensively empty. Maybe he should’ve texted, he thinks, but then, that would have defeated the purpose of the surprise. Still, instead of greeting the only face he really wants to see, Rafael is standing dumbly in the middle of the room, trying to block out the sound of chatter and ringing phones that keep sending bursts of throbbing aches through his head.

Never again will he pick up an alcoholic beverage, Rafael promises himself, that’s his resolution for the year; and yet, at the very same time, he recognizes just how enormous of a lie that is. The scotch in his office had been a very expensive gift, he can’t let that go to waste.

“Barba?”

The familiar voice draws him out of his thoughts from the space through the open door to Liv’s office, and Rafael sighs a breath of relief because at least her being here gives him an excuse to sit down for a little while. He’s slow about making his way into the office and makes a far bigger show than is probably necessary about lowering himself into a chair, a loud, dramatic groan escaping him. The box of cannolis are unceremoniously dropped not the desk, and Rafael rests his head against the back of the chair, making himself look as pitiful as possible under Liv’s currently unimpressed, watchful gaze.

“He’s out with Amanda, interviewing a potential witness,” she says, tilting her head at him. Her lips quirk upward before settling back into a neutral line, and Rafael squints with unbridled suspicion.

“Happy New Year to you, too,” he retorts snidely. “Why are you looking at me like that?”  
  
“You’re testy this morning.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when the people who supposedly care about you let you have too much to drink.” He ignores Liv’s very blatant and pointed eye roll. “I thought we were friends.”

“We are,” Liv says, crossing her arms over her chest as she leans back in her chair, peering at him over the black frames of her glasses. She looks mildly entertained now, only serving to set off more intolerable warning bells for Rafael to stay on guard. “Do you not remember who put you in your Uber and got you home last night?”

Rafael narrows his eyes, tracing a finger over the edge of one of his armrests. “It wasn’t Sonny?”

“No.” Liv smiles pleasantly, far too pleasantly for it to be actually pleasant. “No, _friend_ , that was all me.”

“I couldn’t have been _that_ drunk last night.”

Except he absolutely had been, how can he even be actively denying that when he knows very well he doesn’t remember Liv making sure he made it home? Beyond that, why hadn’t Sonny been the one to do it? Rafael tries to ward off the resentment that’s already building within him, it’s of no use to him when he doesn’t have all the facts yet and not to mention, petty; but he remembers the successful midnight kiss so things had obviously been fine up to a point. Now, it’s just a matter of puzzling together what the hell had happened after that.

“You were flirting with Carisi,” Liv tells him, as if this is brand new information he couldn’t have possibly extrapolated on his own.

Rafael shakes his head and shrugs, not comprehending why Liv would even bring it up now. He and Sonny had disclosed ages ago and while they don’t flaunt their relationship, they don’t take measures to hide it, either. When it comes to holiday parties like last night’s, for instance, Rafael hadn’t bothered sparing a thought for the people he’d caught staring when Sonny had found him for the countdown and wrapped strong arms around his waist to pull him in for the kiss.

“Yeah, so? He’s my boyfriend.”

Liv lifts an eyebrow, inching forward in her chair to rest her elbows on her desk, fingers steepling. “You asked him if he was single—“

Rafael groans. Liv holds up a finger.

“—then cried when he said no.”

The revelation—and it does feel _that_ dramatic—renders Rafael silent and slack-jawed for a long moment, the air thick with his humiliation intermingling with Liv’s obvious amusement, and he’d be better about coming up with some witty retort if it wasn’t starting to add up why Sonny hadn’t written anything more than just an explanation of his whereabouts this morning.

He blinks, then blinks again.

“I—“

That’s all he can really force out, words escaping him, which is almost more frustrating than having heard about what he’d done in the first place.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Liv says, sensing his discomfort and embarrassment. It’d been funny at first, he’s sure, but she looks a little guilty about thinking so now, which in turn makes Rafael feel guilty for making her feel that way at all.

It’s all a bit of a mess, really, and 2018 is not going the way he’d hoped it would so far.

“How big an ass did I make of myself?” Rafael asks, fiddling with the end of his tie and sinking lower into his chair. He’d rather sink into the floor.

“Well,” Liv starts, pausing to think, and Rafael cringes because that can’t be a good sign if she has to spend actual time considering her answer. “Let’s see. You were fine up until midnight.”

“I remember that. Not much after.”

“That’s because Fin handed out shots after.”

Fin, who’d scored a day off today himself and wouldn’t have had to worry about what a hangover might mean for him at work. “Of course.”

“You had a couple more after that and things went south from there. You really don’t remember anything?”

Rafael frowns, brow furrowed from the effort he’s making to recall the series of events that would’ve led him to where he is now. There are flashes, hardly enough to scrape together a real timeline, but he does seem to recall trying to shrug Sonny’s hand off his shoulder while Liv had reached an arm around his waist to keep him upright.

 _”Thanks for doing this, Lieu, just get him home safe? I’ll be right behind you. You hearin’ me, Raf? I’ll see you at home.”_  
_  
“Security!”_

“Oh, god,” he groans, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Security?”

Liv nods. “You wouldn’t let Sonny come near you. I can’t even begin to guess what the hell you were thinking.”

Before Rafael can even begin to dream up anything resembling an explanation, the patter of footsteps approaching the doorway sounds from just outside and so does a familiar voice with that ridiculous accent Rafael has come to love.  
  
“Hey, Lieu, we—“ Sonny practically skids to a stop once he’s entered the office, Amanda right on his tail. The eye contact she makes with Rafael is short-lived, and it’s a struggle not to say something when she bites down on her lip, presumably to keep from revealing a smirk he knows must just be waiting to show itself. “Raf— er, Counselor—“

“He’s off the clock, Carisi,” Liv reminds him, waving a hand dismissively.

Sonny nods, his attention shifting back to Rafael, and he steps a few inches closer. “What’re you doing here, Rafael? You should be home, you weren’t in great shape last night.”

It’s a kind way of putting it but then, Sonny’s always been tactful when it comes to Rafael’s ever-changing moods.

“Liv filled me in,” Rafael tells him. He glances at Liv, whose smile is small but encouraging, then back at Sonny, his cheeks flushing against his will. “Think you could find a few minutes to chat soon?”

“Go on ahead, Counselor,” Amanda interjects. Sonny turns to look at her, but Rafael can’t suss out even from her reaction whether she’d been met with appreciation or irritation. “I can update the Lieutenant on what we found out from our witness.”

“Close the door on your way out,” Liv adds, her way of offering permission, and Rafael sighs before grudgingly pushing himself up from his chair.

To add insult to injury, he wobbles. It’s nothing serious, but it’s a wobble all the same, and he has to bat away the hand Sonny shoots out to balance him. Rafael stops mid-swat, guilt overcoming him again. Sheepishly, he nods toward the door. “Break room? I could use a coffee.”

“Yeah,” Sonny agrees, “I’m thinking that’s a good idea.”

In a gesture of repentance, Rafael lets Sonny guide him with a hand at the small of his back, which is really just Sonny’s way of making sure a stumble doesn’t lead to a fall. They’re quiet all the way to the break room, unusual for them unless they’re alone together at home, and it feels more like tension growing between them than anything else. Rafael isn’t sure if he’s the only one perceiving that, the occasional stolen glance at his boyfriend’s face doesn’t reveal anything exceptionally out of the ordinary, and he kicks himself when he remembers he’d left the box of cannolis behind in Liv’s office.

“I brought you food,” he offers, almost meekly, and Sonny looks down at him with the hint of a smile playing at his lips.

“Yeah? That box from La Bella’s from you? Don’t tell me. Cannoli?”

Rafael nods, slipping away from Sonny’s touch as they file into the break room, and he heads straight for the tragically empty coffee pot. “I wanted to do something nice to start the new year off,” he admits, reaching for a filter then glancing over his shoulder with a grimace. “Didn’t think it’d turn into _groveling_.”

“You don’t have to grovel, Raf, seriously,” Sonny tells him, coming up beside Rafael, who scoffs, and leaning his hip against the counter. He reaches out to gently run his fingertips up and down Rafael’s spine, a reassuring gesture that helps ease Rafael’s nerves. “Look at me, would ya?”

Rafael stops what he’s doing to obey, though it takes a few seconds of hesitation before he can finally meet Sonny’s eyes. He finds no judgment there, no anger, just a soft gaze accompanied by an easy smile. “I ruined your night.”

“You didn’t,” Sonny insists, though he pauses as if to reconsider. “Okay, so the night did get derailed a little at the end there, but it was great up until then. It was our first New Year’s Eve together, and I wasn’t planning on letting the fact that you got hammered get in the way of how much fun it was. And hey, at least you waited until after I got my midnight kiss to get buck wild on me.”

“I’m considerate in that way,” Rafael deadpans, half-heartedly rolling his eyes. He sets the timer on the coffee machine then shifts his body to better face his boyfriend. “You’re really not angry with me?”

“I’m really, really not,” Sonny promises. “We just won’t invite Fin to the festivities when we celebrate Valentine’s Day.”

A burst of laughter escapes Rafael, and he nods. “I think we can agree that’s for the best.” After a quick look out the door to make sure nobody’s watching, Rafael leans in and pecks a quick kiss to Sonny’s lips. “I love you.”

“Yeah, I love you, too. Hey, you owe Liv an apology and a dry-cleaning bill, by the way.”

Frowning, Rafael cocks his head. “The apology, yes. Why the dry-cleaning bill?”

Sonny grins a grin that’s one part cheerful and two parts mischievous, and he knows he’ll pay for it later. “Before she got you in the Uber, you threw up all over her coat. She didn’t tell you? _That’s_ a good friend.”

The color drains from Rafael’s face, and he buries his face shamefully in his hands as Sonny laughs and presses a kiss to his temple.

“Happy New Year, babe.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [damn_antihero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/damn_antihero/pseuds/damn_antihero) for posting the tweet prompt that inspired this fic. I'm getting it in right under the wire, as I often do, because there's just over an hour left of New Year's Day where I am. 
> 
> I wish everyone a beautiful 2018 and hope we can continue to make each other smile by sharing our Barisi love with each other. Taking this time, too, to say if anyone ever wants to chat more about Lawyer Boyfriends, you can always reach me via [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rawreesparza) or [Tumblr](http://rawresparza.tumblr.com/). All my love and thank you for reading!


End file.
